The Devil Wears Prada

A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses.

Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job "a million girls would die for." Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace! at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about "The Boss from Hell." Narrated in Andrea's smart, refreshingly disarming voice, it traces a deep, dark, devilish view of life at the top only hinted at in gossip columns and over Cosmopolitans at the trendiest cocktail parties. From sending the latest, not-yet-in-stores Harry Potter to Miranda's children in Paris by private jet, to locating an unnamed antique store where Miranda had at some point admired a vintage dresser, to serving lattes to Miranda at precisely the piping hot temperature she prefers, Andrea is sorely tested each and every day--and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get Andrea a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, however, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not the job is worth the price of her soul.

Comment

I only remember bits of the movie, since I watched that first. I must say that I enjoyed this book. There were a few areas which I thought dragged on a bit but I loved it. All I can say is that Anne Hathaway really suited the role of Andrea and the same goes for Helen Mirren playing Miranda.

The devil wears Prada was a pretty good read. The story revolves around Andrea Sachs, a girl straight out of college who happens to get a job “a million girls would die for” . She becomes the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the ever so stylish editor of Runway magazine. Miranda Priestly is pretty much the definition of “the boss from hell”, she’s rude, demanding, and doesn’t even bother to learn Andrea’s name. In a whirl wind of events, Andrea finds herself in a world of designer names and beautiful people everywhere. All Andrea has to do, is hold you for just one year so she can pursue her real dream, but is it really worth it? To sell your soul to a terrible boss who will never see you as an equal? Andrea’s job is very time consuming, she doesn’t even have time for her best friend or boyfriend, the path to success is difficult, but there isn’t just one option. I love chick lits, and even though this wasn’t my favourite, it was a pretty good book. I admired Andrea’s ambition, and I don’t think many people would hold out as long as she did. I liked reading about Andrea’s adventures Miranda made her go on, as terrible as they were. I always assumed there would be an ending where the Andrea found out why Miranda is so horrible, but I guess some people are just terrible, or maybe that’s what the sequel is for. Overall, I thought this book was pretty good, I’m not sure if I would recommend it to anyone or if I would read the sequel, but it was a quick air plane read.

I picked up this book because I was hoping for a funny quick read. It really wasn't that funny and was mostly just anxious as the narrator was always stressed. I watched the movie again after I read the book and the book was much better, but I don't think I would recommend it and I wouldn't read again. It was just ok.

I saw the movie first a long while ago but when I saw a used paperback at the library on sale for a dollar, I picked it up. The movie was terrific and that's the only reason I bought the book, thinking it would be great for a laugh (and it was in some places). If it had been the other way around (i.e. read the book first), I might not have seen the movie and that would have been tragic because the person who wrote the screen play took a mediocre work and turned it into an artistic classic.